Signal-lantern



{No Model.)

M. E, WELLS.

SIGNAL LANTERN.

No 597,809. Patented Jan. 25, 189s.

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UNITED STATES PATENT EErcEa SlGNAL-LANTERN.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 597,809, dated January 25, 1898.

. Application tiled Tune l5, 1897. Serial No. 640,812. (No model.)

To all whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, MYRON E. YVELLS, a citizen of the United States,'residin gat Deadwood, in the county oi' Lawrence and State of South Dakota, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Signal-Lanterns, of which the following is a specication, reference being had therein to the accompanying drawings.

My invention relates to lanterns provided in their sides with glasses of different colors to be used as signals; and the objects of my invention are to provide a lantern with eX- tensible sides or shutters for the colored glasses, said shutters being correspondingly colored and adapted to be elevated above the faces of the lantern for use as rigid signal iiags in the daytime. lattain these objects bythe construction illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which- 1 Figure l is a plan, partly in horizontal section, of a signaldantern constructed in accordance with inyinvention. Fig. 2 is a side View of the same, showing two of the hinged shutters turned up for use as liags in daytime. Fig. 3 is a horizontal section of onehalf of a lantern having as a modification of my invention the colored shutters adapted to slide vertically in front and above the colored glasses of the lantern. Fig. 4 is a side elevation of said modification, the sliding shutter being shown elevated.

The signal-lantern is mainly intended to he attached to railway-locomotives, the body A of the lamp being made to restupon abaseplate B, that is secured by means of an eye or bracket B2 to some part of the locomotive.

To retain the body A centrally upon the plate B, the latter is generally provided in its center with an upwardly-projecting stud b, that fits in a cavity in the bottom of said body, and although said body A can be rotated to adjust the faces of the lantern in the proper direction it is secured to the base-plate by clamp-plates C, each one of which is pivoted to said base-plate and has a clamp-screw c.

The lantern proper, mounted upon the lamp or having the lamp in the bottom thereof, has four sides l 2 3 a. The sides l and 2 are at right angles to each other and each has a red glass R, while the sides 3 and a are at right angles to each other and each has a white glass NV, This arrangement of glasses permits the engineer of a locomotive approaching the signal to see the same color when approaching the sign al and when passing alongside thereof.

To effectively use the lantern as a day-signal of considerable size, each of its sides is provided with a shutter D, preferably hinged to horizontal rods d, secured to the upper edge of the lantern by means of loops d2, fastened to said shutters and encircling said rods d, so that the shutters can be turned up, as shown in Fig. 2 One edge of a pair of shutters D, at right angles to each other, is provided with loops e, that are staggered with other loops e on the other shutter to receive a light rod f, by which they are locked together either in an elevated position, as in Fig. 2, or in closed position, in front of the glasses. ln this construction the inner side of the shutter (or the exposed side when turned up) and also the frame F, surrounding the glass R or YV, are of the same color as said glass, and thus the equivalent of a flag of considerable size of one color is obtained, the size appearing nearly four times the size of one of the sides of the lantern when ay person is opposite the angle formed by two of its sides of the same color. Approximately the same result is obtained, as shown in Figs. 3 and 4, by having the shutters D2 adapted to slide vertically in grooves formed in the corners F2 of the frame, wherein they can be retained either elevated or lowered by thumb-screws h, the shu tters being painted the same color as the frame encircling the glass of the same color.

Although the colors mentioned above in connection with the sides of the lantern have been described as red and white, the colors used may be green and white or green and red, according to the rules adopted by railroads, and although the signal -lantern is mainly intended to be attached to railwaylocomotives it can also be used as a xed signal at stations or railroad-crossings.

Having now fully described my invention, I claim- 1. A four-sided signal-lantern having tw of its sides at right angles to each other provided with glasses of the same color, and around said glass a frame of the same color IOO as the glass, and for eaoh side a shutter of the same color as said side and adapted to be elevated whereby the day-signal is double the height of Ihe side of tbe lantern substantially as' described.

2. The Combination of the four-sided frame of a signal-lantern having two of its sides provided with glasses of the same color, and for each side a shutter of the same color as said side, and adapted to be elevated above Io said side and retained in said elevated position substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two Witnesses.

- MYRON E. WELLS. Witnesses:

WILLIAM E. WATEILS, WILLIAM T. RoBERTsoN. 

